Prime Minister David Thompson says the process of review and restructuring will continue.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC - Prime Minister David Thompson on Tuesday relieved two government senators of their duties as part of a shake-up that has also seen to the re-ordering of a number of ministerial responsibilities and the elevation of a former backbencher to his cabinet. 

The changes were announced in a nationally televised address in which Thompson stated that the process of review and restructuring would continue over the course of his administration’s five-year term in office. 

After being in government for two years, he revealed that the services of senators Damien Griffith and Patricia Inniss would no longer be needed in the Upper House. They are to be replaced by Rev. Dr. David Durant and human resource management consultant Andre Worrell. 

In terms of his cabinet, Thompson also relieved Dr. Esther Byer-Suckoo of the portfolio of Family, Youth Affairs and Sport in favour of government backbencher Stephen Lashley, who has been brought into the fold.  

However, Byer-Suckoo will replace Arni Walters in the Ministry of Labour following his recent re-assignment from the position of Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Social Partnership to the post of executive chairman of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA). 

Thompson, who is the substantive minister of Immigration and Social Partnership, has also added two new parliamentary secretaries to the Office of the Prime Minister. Financial analyst Jeptor Ince is to be joined in the senate by trade unionist, local talk show host and former head of the Barbados Employers Confederation Harry Husbands. 

“The appointments of Senators Husbands and Ince would enable me as Prime Minister to assume a greater oversight and coordinating role of other ministries whose work is crucial to the overall success of our programmes,” said Thompson, whose Democratic Labour Party (DLP) came to power  in January 2008. 

Meantime, Patrick Todd holds on to his job as a minister of state but moves from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, while Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner  has been transferred from the Prime Minister’s office to the Ministry of Health where she will have direct political oversight for the state-run Queen Elizabeth Hospital. 

During the address, Thompson also announced the sale of shares in the Barbados National Bank, saying that a “substantial portion” of the proceeds of this sale would go towards a major enhancement project at the island’s main health care facility. 

Social Care and Constituency Empowerment Minister Chris Sinckler is the new Leader of Government Business in the Lower House, taking over that role from Education Minister Ronald Jones.  

Thompson said the move would ease Jones’ workload “so that he can focus more on the priority issue of discipline among our children both on and off the school compound”.  

The matter has been one of major public debate in recent weeks with Jones promising to deal with the matter head on. 

CMC/10